Webs of material (including but not limited to tissue, towel, paper, board, plastics, and polymers) are transported through spans that typically have web stabilizers, such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,321,107 and 5,738,760. The webs move at a relatively high speed through the spans and across the stabilizers.
As the web moves across the flat surface of these stabilizers, the side edges of the web tend to curl. Curling may increase the stresses applied to the web, especially at the web edges. Curling may result in non-uniform stretching of the web across the width of the web and increase the risk of web tearing. The side edges most commonly curl away from the stabilizers due to web tension, gravity, differences in material properties, outside influences such as air currents, and the fact that the material on the web ends is connected to other web material only on one side of the web. There is a need for devices and methods to reduce curling at the side edges of webs.
Other configurations have been proposed, such the one(s) described in U.S. application Ser. No. 12/695,620 filed on Jan. 28, 2010.